


Willows

by rappedRomcoms



Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-23
Updated: 2017-12-21
Packaged: 2019-02-05 20:07:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12801387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rappedRomcoms/pseuds/rappedRomcoms
Summary: willowswarriors.tumblr.coma fanstory about some cats





	1. 1

**Author's Note:**

> oof hope u like it!! i worked real hard on this, ive been trying to start up my nanowrimo work for a while now lmao

When he woke up, he knew exactly where he was. He didn't know how he knew, but it was as if his paws had tread on this soil before. A thick, starry fluid was on his paws and in his fur, and he scrambled to shake it off. His ears seemed to be almost clogged with the substance, muffling his hearing. Words were spoken around him, by cats with fur made of stars, yet he couldn't hear. He cried out; he _knew_ that they could hear him, they seemed guilty and turned their eyes away. Giving up, he laid in the green earth. His eyes had been so focused on the cats around him that he hadn't looked down at the earth until this moment- the grass was wilting, becoming dead under his paws. The cats around him lost their warm auras until their phantasmal shapes were replaced with a cold, unsettling feeling and blood-covered ghosts. He screamed, afraid of what was happening, he was _afraid_ , what was going _on_ -

The fluid on his paws turns to blood as the grass decays, the flowers die, the cats advance on him-

Pumpkinsneeze wakes up.

He breathes deeply; this is the first time he’s ever had a dream like that. As the newest medicine cat of TangleClan, he should have expected getting small prophetic dreams now and then- Ivyjumper always told him it would happen someday- but he didn’t expect them to be so… vivid.

He missed his mentor. She was always able to deal with stuff like this with a calm and level head. He shouldn’t be overreacting so much. StarClan sent omens all the time, right? As an apprentice, he’d always hear the medicine cat of SplashClan, Rushingleaf, complain about how they were getting too many omens that hardly meant anything.

_“It was an omen for a sprained paw! A sprained paw on an apprentice, and it healed fine. I don’t know why StarClan is bothering with these.” Rushingleaf muttered, kneading their paws into the soft ground around the Moon Willow. “It’s been happening for us, too.” Muddypelt- of EchoClan- sighed to himself. "I talked to Batstar about the omen, and it just ended up being that two or three pieces of prey were rotting. It’s late newleaf, prey is running swiftly. We would have noticed the rotting eventually.” “Here, too!” ScorchClan’s medicine cat, Mousefire, seemed very eager to join in the conversation. “Part of camp was burning- we thought we’d have to run out of our territory, with all the fires, and stuff, you know? But it was just a sign that my medicine cat name should be Mousefire! And, Rainfeather, you were gonna name me that anyways, weren’tcha?” Pumpkinpaw faded out the murmurs of the older medicine cats as he turned to his friends, Slippaw of SplashClan and Cavernpaw of EchoClan. They shared a look, as if to say,_ “Older cats, am I right?” _and burst into a fit of giggles._

That was the night he got his name. Cavernpaw was excited, flicking his tail to signal a “congratulations!” while Slippaw was fuming. Pumpkinsneeze remembered the night fondly. But anyhow, it just proved to him that, yes, these types of things do happen, and quite often. He thanked the stars that the medicine cats had talked about that on a memorable night, or else he’d have been much more anxious right about now.

Brushing off his dream- it was surely nothing- he stretched his short legs and headed out of the den.

The light was blinding. Why did his den have to be in one of the only parts of the camp that the trees didn’t cover up? He supposed it was to keep the sick cats warmer. The camp was generally overrun by beautiful plants, and trees that reached to the sky. Mushrooms grew along the damp, mossy bark of the great hollowed tree in the middle of camp; that was where Skunkstar lived, up in it’s branches covered in vines. The warrior’s den was in it’s shade, partially underground- the den’s entrance was in the roots of the looming tree. The apprentice’s den was next to Pumpkinsneeze’s, sadly. He could hear them even from the thick barrier of dirt between them, talking through all hours of the night about silly crushes and who got the best hunt that day. There had been more than one occasion where Ivyjumper had had to stalk into the vines of their den, hissing for them to shut up, because the patients couldn’t sleep. It was even worse when there was an apprentice in the medicine den- no one wanted to miss out on the conversations and trading of secrets, so they’d practically shout through the wall. He had to admit, though, it was kind of cute, in an annoying kind of way.

Across the camp, in the safest hideaway and the only other part of TangleClan where sun shone, resided the nursery, and next to it, the elder’s den. The dens were constructed of sturdy sticks for the most part, but, as was the rest of the camp- minus Skunkstar’s den- they eventually faded into a cavern.

As Pumpkinsneeze padded out of the sunlight and into the shaded parts of camp, a young kit rushed up to him. Pearkit.

“Pumpkinsneeze, Pumpkinsneeze! Thornkit’s got a thorn in his paw!” the she-cat mewled, flicking her tail to her brother, who was meowing like a madman in the clearing. He was going to wake cats from the dead, with all that yelling!

“Hm. Ironic, for the name,” Pumpkinsneeze stated with a smile, heading into his den to fetch cobwebs. He didn’t think the wound would become infected. Trotting out of his den, he looked at Thornkit. “Thornkit, please show me your paw.”

“I-i-is it gonna be ok?” the young tom sniffled. “Will it h-have to be ch-ch-chopped off?!”

Pumpkinsneeze giggled, trying to calm down the kit with a sense of “hey, this isn’t so bad”. “Of course not, Thornkit, but I will have to take out your namesake. Is that okay? When I pull it out, you’ll have to lick your paw, to make sure it doesn’t get infected.”

When the kit nodded, Pumpkinsneeze bent down and plucked the thorn from his small paw. He yelped, and quickly started licking. When he was done, the medicine cat placed the cobweb around the injured paw.

“Now, I’d say you’re fine, but try to be easy on your left paw, alright? I don’t want the cut to open up aga-” Pumpkinsneeze trailed off. Thornkit and Pearkit had already dashed off, doing StarClan knows what. They’d probably find Applekit- the terrible trio. The two kits, although not related by blood to Applekit, treated him like a brother, and also an idol. He was quick to rope them into any plan his mind could create. He hoped they wouldn’t get hurt; the medicine den was already busy enough as is. The medicine den was running out of herbs, too; despite the growth of greenleaf, Pumpkinsneeze had been grieving for his mentor, and had hesitated to even leave his den. He was recovering, albeit slowly, and as his mind wandered to Ivyjumper, he could feel a pang of pain in his heart. The time shared with Ivyjumper that was taken away from would forever anger him, but he knew she’d want him to let it go. And so with a shake of his fur, he called to assemble some warriors. Trotting up to the deputy, Rosebudjumper, still gave him chills; they were a fierce, strong cat, and even though Pumpkinsneeze was a warrior, the days of his apprenticeship still rang clearly in his mind. His apprenticeship was mostly filled with Rosebudjumper saying they’d claw the ears off any apprentice who slept in. They would never actually do it, but nonetheless, it definitely worked.

“Rosebudjumper!” he called to the cat grooming themself near the fallen tree where Skunkstar held meetings and ceremonies. “I’d like to assemble a patrol to help me find marigold, coltsfoot, borage leaves, and some chervil; could you lend me some warriors? I need extra paws.”

The slender deputy simply nodded, called some warriors, and smiled as Pumpkinsneeze seemed to shrink under their gaze. “Oh, please, you don’t still believe those old nursery tales, do you? I don’t bite.”

Pumpkinsneeze giggled anxiously and started backing away slowly. “Of course not, I just realized I have business to attend to, though…”

“Aren’t you taking a patrol?” The deputy tilted their head in confusion.

“O-oh, yes, of course.” _Shit, that was real smooth of you. Great escape._ “Ah, there they are. Be safe out there.” Rosebudjumper turned away as the assembled warriors padded up to the medicine cat.

“Oh, StarClan, an herb patrol? Are you serious?” a soft voice mewled to another, who replied.

“Ugh, I know, right?”

“Stempaw, Slugpaw, shut up, won’t you?” an exasperated voice snapped at the two apprentices. “This is an important duty.”

Whimsywillow giggled at the brashness of her mate, Heatherheart, while Pricklelight simply smirked.

“Aw, come on, Stempaw, don’t you think this will be fun? You’ll be able to find some neat stuff, and hey, if you do well, I’ll take you hunting later!” Whimsywillow seemed to talk to everyone cheerfully, and the sassy Stempaw was included in the “everyone”.

“Well, now that you’re all here,” Pumpkinsneeze started, casting a glance at the apprentices, “Let’s get going. I’d say our best bet for finding the herbs would be near the farm borders. Do you all know what we’re looking for?”

The apprentices and Whimsywillow shook their heads, so Pumpkinsneeze pulled out the remains of the herbs they needed to pick up and made them sniff it.

“Aw, yuck!” Slugpaw gagged and reeled back. “These smell awful, I bet they taste even worse! I’d rather clean the elders with mousebile!” “Stop overreacting, Slugpaw. They aren’t bad, you’ll get used to them.” Heatherheart sighed, clearly done for the day with the attitude of the twins. “Let’s head out now, shall we?” she asked, turning to the medicine cat. Pumpkinsneeze nodded. _She’d definitely be a great deputy, if given the chance. Now that she’s got an apprentice, she’ll most likely be Skunkstar’s pick if something happens to Rosebudjumper._

Heatherheart flicked her tail and signaled to the patrol to move, and so they did. As they neared the farm borders, Pumpkinsneeze took a deep breath. The smell of plants always invigorated him in the morning, like they were his lifeline, an addiction. The cats could see the farm in the distance, the large cows- or maybe they were horses?- moving slowly near the fence. Whimsywillow mewed cheerfully at them, and they responded with assorted “moos”. Okay, probably cows.

“Okay, everyone, split up, but stay in my eyesight, okay?” Heatherheart nodded to the patrol. “Pumpkinsneeze, what if we find something you didn’t list?”

He shrugged. “Well, any more herbs could help. Some of them have the same uses.”

After about an hour or so of digging around, Pumpkinsneeze and his patrol had gathered clumps of marigold and chervil- both the leaves and the roots. They were about to set out to the abandoned shed when a shriek rang from camp. Rustling was heard, before Fernstorm crashed through the brush.

“There’s an attack from SplashClan! They got a kit, it’s Applekit, he tried to attack one, the idiot, he’s hurt, Skunkstar stood up to defend him-” Fernstorm’s words were rushed and he seemed to stumble over them; the new warrior was clearly in shock. Pumpkinsneeze would have to wrangle up some poppy seeds from his den. But first, they had to get to the camp!

Heatherheart was the first to start her dash to the camp. She had been named for her bravery (and most suspected, her impulse, though none would say it to her face), and it was very fitting as she crashed into a SplashClan cat, one Pumpkinsneeze had seen at Gatherings. He believed he was named Salmonpelt, but who really cared about names when his herb storage was being attacked?

His herb storage was being attacked.

_His herb storage was being attacked._

Pumpkinsneeze shrieked and rammed his full body into the offending cat- Scalypelt- and yowled to Whimsywillow. “Help! My herbs!”

Whimsywillow looked side to side- from her mate to the medicine cat, and when she seemed to have made up her mind that Heatherheart would be fine, she leapt onto Scalypelt with a furious hiss.

Pumpkinsneeze was very glad that he was originally trained as a warrior apprentice in this moment, for he and Whimsywillow worked excellently together. She clawed his face while Pumpkinsneeze bared his fangs. They pushed him into a corner, and when he knew he’d been beaten, he scurried away. _What a coward_ , thought Pumpkinsneeze.

As the battle broke up and the SplashClan cats scurried away, Pumpkinsneeze looked at the remains of his herbs. They hadn’t gotten to much before he had arrived, but his supplies of catmint, dock, goldenrod and horsetail had been completely destroyed. He choked out a sob at this; he knew he was overreacting, but he and Ivyjumper had worked _so hard_ to build up a herb supply this large. It was so _unfair_.

“Applekit! Applekit, wake up! Wake _up_!”

This cry came from near the nursery, and Pumpkinsneeze twisted his head. It was Beechroot, Applekit’s mother. He looked at Beechroot’s horrified face, but his eyes drifted to the small cinnamon body under her, lying completely still. Surrounded by blood, Applekit was not moving whatsoever.

_Cobwebs, goldenrod- fuck! No goldenrod, shit, dock? Fuck, that’s gone too!_

His mind raced before another cry from Beechroot snapped him out of his stupor. He’d get the other herbs later, he had to seal Applekit’s wounds before anything. He rushed over, slipping a bit in the dirt as he leaned down towards the kit. Once completely active, with a mischievous grin, Applekit’s body was cold, with no expression. Pumpkinsneeze placed his ear to the chest of Applekit. His breathing was still.

The medicine cat was panicking- how could this happen? He had to save him- he had to… he… he needed Ivyjumper. He felt like a kit once more, laying next to his mentor in the medicine den. He sobbed. He was pressing his paws onto the chest of Applekit, heaving greatly. He hadn’t even realized he started doing it. It was simply like a second mind had taken control of him.

“Please, Applekit, please…” he pushed, and tried to breathe life into the kit.

Everything was quiet around Pumpkinsneeze, like it had been in his dream. He could vaguely hear muffled screams from Beechroot as she shoved her teary face into Applekit’s father, Petalspring, who was guarding Applekit’s siblings from seeing his body so still. Beechroot’s sobbing cut off as soon as Applekit started choking up his blood.

Pumpkinsneeze flipped over the small tom, patting his back so as to make the thick red liquid come out faster. He motioned to Petalspring to continue this motion, and patched up Applekit’s side, which continued to gush blood. When cobwebs were applied multiple times, and Applekit was stable, was when Pumpkinsneeze felt at ease. He asked Petalspring to carry in his son, and he obliged. The two parents were both clearly in shock, but Petalspring seemed to be more mentally stable in the moment. Dear StarClan, he’d need to get more poppy seeds.

Later, after finishing patching up the wounded warriors and queens, as well as an elder- Leafrustle- and giving Petalspring, Beechroot, and Fernstorm his remaining supply of poppy seeds, he settled into his nest. He was prepared to fall asleep when Skunkstar walked into the den.

The leader was silent, and she was careful not to step on the sleeping body of Applekit as she snuck through the den.

“Pumpkinsneeze,” she wheezed, “I must see you in my den. Now.”

The tired cat was confused, but he nodded, and followed her into the dark clearing. The moon was clouded out tonight, and he assumed it was because of the battle. Why would StarClan show a moon when blood had been drawn this night?

He padded up the humongous roots, and the large mushrooms that would hold some weight, and trotted into her den. He always admired the aesthetic of it; the hollow hole of the tree had moss and lichen growing in it, and the trunk was large enough to fit a mate and kits along with the leader, so they wouldn’t have to leave their den. It was truly incredible, in his eyes, and he was so caught up in the beauty that he almost didn’t hear his leader whisper.

Almost.

“I lost a life.”

He choked at this. She hadn’t come to his den, she hadn’t said a word to him. She had lifted the injured body of Volecatcher to his den- she lost an eye- after she had _lost a life_? “What?” the tom sputtered, confusion in his eyes, followed by concern. “You lost a life? Why didn’t you tell me of your wounds?!”

She gave him a small, sad smile, the age and exhaustion showing in her eyes. “StarClan had healed my wounds. It was a swift slice to the throat, it was fast. Look, you can barely even see a scar.”

The tone of her voice was joking, but she was right. The fur around where she had been killed was sliced, showing her throat, but there was hardly anything there to signify that something had happened to the leader, other than the small scar- barely noticeable. If Pumpkinsneeze squinted, he could swear that it was glowing faintly.

“Still, you should have had it checked, in case of infection…” he trailed off. “I’m sorry, I don’t know how many lives you have left, you usually left this to… Ivyjumper. She’d know what to do. I just feel like a kit, I don’t know what I’m doing.”

“I know I used to speak to Ivyjumper. She was the medicine cat, but that’s you now. And now you must carry the burden of the clan alongside me. I didn’t know how to react when Elmstar died, when I knew that I was the new leader. You never met him, he was a kind cat. I think about him to this very day, even though he passed so many moons ago. I can still see his face, if I try hard enough to remember the details. It was so hard to let go. But I managed to take care of my clan, Pumpkinsneeze. And now you must as well. Ivyjumper is gone, just like Elmstar is. We take their places, and our successors will take ours.

The cycle is large, and overwhelming, but we must do everything we can do to sustain our cycle, Pumpkinsneeze. We are the clan’s hope, we are the clan’s backbone, and that’s just how our cycle is. But to be honest, Pumpkinsneeze, you’re never going to quite get the hang of it. But for someone so new to being the only medicine cat, I think you are doing an excellent job.”

Her words were wise, and humbling. The medicine cat even started to tear up a little. This was his life now, he had to preserve it-

He was quiet before he realized she was trying to dodge the question.

“Skunkstar.” he said firmly. “How many lives do you have left?”

She was silent for a very, very long time. He was opening his mouth to ask her again, when she breathed out an answer.

An awful, terrifying answer.

“ _One._ ”

He had no idea how to react. One life? How was it possible. Skunkstar had always been around, he'd thought that she'd be around for the rest of his life. One life left? She could die when he was still _alive._ He had trouble processing.

"Go to sleep, Pumpkinsneeze. You've had a long day." 

The leader croaked back a goodbye as he teetered out of the den. He felt off-balance, completely disoriented. He laid down in his den, shock still hitting him at the fact that his leader could be gone any day now. Closing his eyes, he drifted into a deep sleep.

"That kit would have died, if not for me. Are you going to say you're welcome, or what?"

The snarky voice cut through the eerie silence, and Pumpkinsneeze's eyes shot open.

_"Who are you?"_

He hissed this, as if he was afraid the cat in front of him would be a SplashClan warrior. However, it was not.

When he looked at her, and saw the skeleton inside her ethereal form, he was pretty sure it wasn't a SplashClan warrior.

"My name is Talongaze, of SandClan. I know, I know, hold your applause. A medicine cat of a fallen clan, talking to someone like you? It must be amazing to experience this. Although, I wouldn't know. Anyways, are you going to thank me for saving that kit? Patching up his wounds, whispering my ancient secrets into your ear? Incredible, isn't it?"

"StarClan, you talk a lot," the TangleClan cat muttered sarcastically.

"Hey, don't use the name of StarClan in vain, don't you know I'm a StarClan cat myself?" she gave a toothy grin. "I'm your little dead mentor, now. Because I'm bored, and I'll be mighty angry if you keep fucking up with your healing. Didn't your mentor teach you anything?"

Pumpkinsneeze tried to think of a comeback against this strange, ghostly cat. But honestly? In his mind, she was right. He had never been the best learner, and if what she said was true, Applekit could've died because of him. He frowned.

"Okay, hun, you don't have to decide right now what your plan is, but be warned, I'll be back, to make sure you don't plunge your clan into shit. Now, get up, Applekit is calling."

As the she-cat turned away, Pumpkinsneeze gasped in horror. He hadn't seen her from a view that wasn't of her side, and in the moment, he wished that he had gone blind before he saw what happened to the cat.

Her side was completely flattened in the waist, her ribcage could be seen almost protruding from her other side. Her silky, light brown fur was stained with blood, and she seemed to have the marks of a monster embedded in her skin. 

The only thought he had as he faded out of the dream seemed to be _"I thought StarClan cats healed after death? I guess I was wrong. Maybe I do need her teaching."_

He woke to the cries of Applekit, who's wounds had reopened. He quickly resealed them, and when he laid back down in his nest, he couldn't for the life of him figure out how to fall back asleep.


	2. 1/2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a little filler chapter before i start on the real one ;w;

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heeeeere's chapter 2 hope its chill

Warm. Heavy breathing, warm. Soft fur. Warm. Her mate. Warm. Warmth.

Whimsywillow curled against her mate in the warrior's den, feeling the heat sap off Heatherheart's fur. She purred contently, happy that the trials of today were over. No one had been hurt too badly, other than Applekit, who seemed to be fine right now. 

_All in all, not too bad for a battle!_

Whimsywillow always looked on the bright side of things, or at least, she tried to. Her apprentice seemed to hate this attitude, but by StarClan, she would try her best to make Stempaw cheery!

The best nights were the nights where she was surrounded by all the warmth of her clanmates. She could feel it seep into her, the heated bond of her large family. Heatherheart radiated warmth, as did her brother, Petalspring. So she slept in between the two, happy in her nest choice and happy in her life. 

The place where she woke up was not warm.

She took a breath, and she could see it. Her eyes hadn't even seemed to close, but she was taken out of her sweet warmth and into this world she'd never taken a step in.

So, naturally, she decided to take a step in it.

Two steps forwards and she stopped. Because one cat was taking more than two steps towards _her_. Whimsywillow had never seen this cat in her life, but the tom grinned at her like he'd known her for moons.

"Whimsywillow, it's so  _pleasant_ meeting you. My name is Frigidfeather; an old StarClan companion of your grandfather's. I've been waiting for this day for a very,  _very_ long time."

\- = - = - = - = - = - = - = -

Pumpkinsneeze rolled in his nest, the snores of Applekit seemed to be keeping him awake. Or perhaps, it was his intruding thoughts about the strange visitor he had just gotten in his sleep-  _Talongaze_. The name rolled off his tongue as if he'd practiced it thousands of times. He thought back to what she had said; she wanted to mentor him, he thought? Or maybe she had to? He didn't know anything about her, though she certainly seemed kind of... cocky. He didn't even know if he wanted her to help him out, so soon after Ivyjumper's death, but... if what she was saying was the truth, then didn't he need her? 

Glancing at the sleeping form of Applekit, he was taken back to about three hours earlier. The kit had been bleeding out, with fatal wounds. How could he have healed that, without StarClan's help? He surely would have died, until it seemed like a cat had possessed him. To know exactly what to do. That must have been Talongaze, it had to be. He would have let Applekit die. Applekit would have died without her.

He was still entangled in his thoughts about the strange she-cat, fighting with himself over if it was just a dream, or real. A real StarClan cat, mentoring him? It sounded strange, even to a medicine cat. 

 _Me, my herbs, and my two dead mentors,_ he laughed.  _How strange._

He did not manage to fall asleep that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and thus ends the filler chapter!!


	3. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cinderclaw has some deputy duties to handle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the short chapter gfdsdfgfd

Cinderclaw would never consider himself a good warrior.

He stumbled over his paws, wasn’t the best fighter, and fell in the dirtplace on more than one occasion. So he couldn’t for the life of him figure out why Glowingstar would appoint him as deputy. Sure, he was alright at hunting, and he tried to keep a level head, but surely there must have been more options. 

These were the thoughts running through his mind as Deerripple tackled him to the charred ground. 

“Like that, Charpaw. Did you see how Cinderclaw wasn’t paying attention to how his paws were positioned?” The older she-cat flicked her tail and steadied her apprentice’s paws, which were off balance as well. “This way, you won’t be able to be knocked over as easily. Now, Cinderclaw, are you ready to show Charpaw?”

Cinderclaw felt a rush of embarrassment pass through his face. He hadn’t even noticed that his paws were unsteady. “Yes, of course. Now, Charpaw, I’ll tackle you, and, Deerripple will… uh…” he trailed off hesitantly.

“I will evaluate you. Now, don’t stress, this isn’t your final evaluation, but I do need to see what you need to improve on.”

Charpaw gave a brisk nod and planted her paws firmly in the ground, locking eyes with her older brother. “I’m ready!”

Everyone could see that Cinderclaw was hesitant to rush into his sister. The shove didn’t faze her at all, and Deerripple sighed. “Cinderclaw, harder next time, alright?”

He nodded, but he was still worried. She had only just gotten out of the medicine den for her asthma, and he didn’t want to hurt her accidentally. But he knew that she should be prepared for a real battle; a warrior of a different clan wouldn’t go soft on her. 

The small tom rammed into his sister, and she barely moved. Cheers from Deerripple, Porcupineclaw and Harepaw could be heard, and Charpaw pulled a goofy grin onto her face. 

“Excellent, Charpaw! You were a bit off, but you’ve been improving vastly.” Deerripple laid her tail gently on the shoulder of her apprentice. 

As the deputy of ScorchClan looked at the small group of cats in the training hollow, his thoughts turned to Deerripple. She was clearly more experienced than him, and would have been a great deputy. He frowned; Glowingstar was having a rough time mentally when he chose Cinderclaw, maybe it was just a mistake on his part.

“Cinderclaw!” Harepaw, the other apprentice at the training hollow, called to him with a soft voice. “Can me and Featherpaw and our mentors go on patrol later? Like, a border patrol?”

The deputy chuckled; Harepaw was a clever little tom. He’s had a crush on Featherpaw for moons- he’s heard from Charpaw. Featherpaw was mentored by Burdockblaze, and the senior warrior had been complaining for moons about the stench of TangleClan at their borders. Porcupineclaw, however, was overprotective, and would most likely say that the apprentices should stay behind and do some hunting on their own. From what Charpaw has been saying, he’s been trying to get alone time with Featherpaw for a very long time, and has been planning this for a while. 

“Of course.” Cinderclaw grinned, his missing tooth showing. “Stay out of trouble. I’ll announce the night patrols underneath the crimson stones later today.”

The smaller apprentice muttered a quick “yes!” before hurrying off to tell Porcupineclaw. Cinderclaw missed those days- where he ran around carelessly, and relied on his mentor for most things. 

He glanced at the sky; the sun was fading from the sky quicker than he had noticed. “Everyone, back to camp, now. We know what happens when we aren’t all in camp by sundown,” he joked. The fur on Charpaw’s and Harepaw’s back stood up straight. “The walking crow-food!” Charpaw screeched, and dashed as fast as she could to the camp, Harepaw following behind her. Deerripple giggled and turned to Porcupineclaw and Cinderclaw. “When do you think they’ll realize those tales are just us messing with them?” 

Porcupineclaw let out a booming laugh. “Hopefully never!”

Every cat in the clan knew the tale of the walking crow-food- loners and rogues that were killed so that the ScorchClan cats could lay claim to their territory. Vile and cursed, they arose at night as horrifying beasts with a thirst for ScorchClan apprentice blood! If you weren’t back into camp by sundown, it was said that you’d never be seen again… of course, those were all rumours started by the mentors of ScorchClan so that their apprentices wouldn’t cause trouble late at night. Although, some apprentices didn’t believe it- and by some apprentices, he meant Nightpaw. He let out a deep sigh at the thought of his younger brother, and Charpaw’s littermate. Ever since… Morningpaw… the sullen apprentice had been seen less and less around camp at night. Charpaw expressed her concern to Cinderclaw on the daily.

_ “I just don’t see why he can’t just stay! Like, Morningpaw is fucking dead! It sucks, but get over it! We all miss him, but at least we’re helpful!” _

_ “Language, Charpaw.” Cinderclaw scolded, with a pang in his heart as he thought of his brother. “Different cats cope in different ways.” _

_ “It’s been moons! I wish he’d cope in a way that didn’t involve him going out so late and never talking to anyone! I know he was closest with Morningpaw, but it hurts that he’s not talking to me about it…” The small she-cat brushed away some tears with her ashen paws. _

_ “I know, and I’m sorry, but we just have to let him handle things in his own way. Getting mad at him solves nothing, you know?” _

_ Charpaw sighed, seemingly defeated. “I guess. Thanks, Cinderclaw.” _

That… wasn’t his most fond memory involving his sister, but it was the one that stood out most in his mind. It had been about a quarter-moon ago, and he always thought that she looked as if she wanted to tell him something else. The curiosity killed him. The death of Morningpaw had been hard on them all, especially Curlyfur and Dimple; they retired when Morningpaw fell ill, saying that they needed to spend every second with their son. But it hit no one harder than it hit Nightpaw. The tom hadn’t even been able to attend Morningpaw’s funeral, for he couldn’t keep himself away from his brother’s body. It had broken Cinderclaw’s heart when Nightpaw had kept crying for his littermate to wake up, and he would give anything to bring Morningpaw back, just so Nightpaw could be the little punk that he once was.

Cinderclaw shook himself out of his stupor; right, he needed to announce the patrols. He felt his paws pad to the crimson rocks, though his head wasn’t quite in time with his body yet. 

“Alright, everyone, patrol time!” he shouted, turning to the cats as they trotted up to the blood-red stones. Harepaw looked like he was about to burst with excitement- he wanted the TangleClan border patrol so badly.

“Alright- Berryheart, Dustwhistle, Thrushstorm, head on a hunting patrol near the Smoked Tree.”

The three warriors nodded, purring to each other. They were quite a cute couple, he thought. Or… triple? He wasn’t sure of the term, but either way, they were cute. 

“Bloomgaze, Jaypoppy, Waterfeather; take the SplashClan border.”

Bloomgaze’s eyes lit up in excitement; if there was anything that cat loved to do, it was swim. He’d never understand it. Waterfeather, on the more ironic side, hated swimming with a passion. If he was being honest with himself, he was giving Waterfeather the SplashClan border patrol because he saw him eat the fattest mouse before offering it to the elders earlier that day. 

“Sproutpelt, Foxfur, Deerripple, Charpaw and I will be taking the EchoClan strip, and then going hunting.” He turned to Foxfur- an older warrior- and hesitated. “I mean, if that’s okay with you. I’ve heard you’ve had back troubles?”

Cinderclaw was trying to be courteous, but he had clearly offended the orange cat.

“No, I’ll be fine.” Foxfur scoffed, flicking his tail. Cinderclaw mentally smacked himself.

Harepaw’s eyes lit up as he realized what was coming next. “Does that mean we get the TangleClan border?”

“Yes- you, Porcupineclaw, Burdockblaze, and… hm, I think that’s all, isn’t it?” he teased, before purring softly. “Don’t look so panicked, Harepaw, of course I didn’t forget Featherpaw.”

Harepaw sighed in relief, but not after shooting a half-joking glare towards the deputy.

Burdockblaze’s hackles raised. “If those TangleClan fucks have stepped even a paw over our border-” 

The tom was cut off quickly by the angered voice of Fluffblaze, his twin sister. “Burdockblaze! Not around my kits!”

Sparkkit giggled before hopping around after her sisters. “Ashkit, Brackenkit, you’ll be my humble warriors, I’ll be Sparkstar, and momma can be the TangleClan fucks!”

Fluffblaze hushed her kits, and sent a pointed gaze towards Burdockblaze. “You know I have to deal with this all night, now!”

Burdockblaze replied to this by padding out of camp with his tail between his legs. Cinderclaw chuckled; the large tom could put up any fiery personality he wanted. When it came to his sister, however, that personality simply dimmed to an ember. As the patrolling cats started out of camp, Cinderclaw motioned to his own patrol. Sproutpelt, Foxfur, Deerripple and Charpaw followed. The EchoClan strip wasn’t much, but it was still worth checking. He wouldn’t put it past an EchoClan cat to cross territories just for fun.

The patrol was usual; the borders were marked, and prey was caught. Charpaw seemed especially proud to have caught a thrush. 

“Wisppaw is gonna love this!” she grinned through mounds of white and brown feathers. “It’s her favourite!”

Cinderclaw chuckled, but he couldn’t help feeling nervous at Charpaw’s newfound interest in impressing Wisppaw. The she-cat was a medicine cat apprentice, and he could tell Charpaw had a crush on her. He only hoped it would fade, because StarClan forbid his sister fall head over heels with a medicine cat. That kind of stuff only ends in tragedy and heartbreak. 

When they stepped into camp, the first thing that could be seen was the mingling of cats for sharing tongues. Another thing, that may have only stood out to Cinderclaw, was the quick flick of a black tail disappearing behind the corner of the warrior’s den.

Cinderclaw’s stomach rumbled; he was so hungry, after such a long day, but the curiosity inside him couldn’t be ignored much longer. He needed to find out what his kid brother was up to.

He followed Nightpaw, and was thankful for the scorched earth muffling his pawsteps. Nightpaw seemed to be headed towards the twolegplace, and Cinderclaw’s first thought was  _ Please, no. _

But Nightpaw took a sharp swivel towards the abandoned barn. This piqued Cinderclaw’s interest even more- why would Nightpaw ever head there?

He settled in a bush as Nightpaw seemed to slow. He dug something out of a hole- maybe he’s just been coming for late night snacks. Cinderclaw laughed to himself- wouldn’t that just be funny if he had been stressing over Nightpaw’s eating habits? But the item Nightpaw pulled out of the hole was green, leafy, and made Cinderclaw’s mouth water. He was also terrified, because that was catmint, and Nightpaw was chewing on it like nobody’s business. The nicks in the leaves showed Cinderclaw that he hadn’t been very good at collecting some of it, but the other leaves seemed perfect, and smelled faintly of Mousefire and Wisppaw. Had Nightpaw been stealing from the medicine den, to come here, and do whatever this is? When cats could get sick?

“Nightpaw!” The deputy of ScorchClan stepped out, trying to make his frame look larger and more imposing than it was. “What in StarClan’s name do you think you’re doing here?! With that!”

Nightpaw looked like a deer caught in a monster’s gaze, and he shoved the bunch of leaves behind him. But the look on Cinderclaw’s face told him that he had seen everything.

“I, I’m just coming here to… think.” He stammered.

“With catmint? You’re thinking as you ride whatever high this is?”

That seemed to break the thin tom.

“I… it makes me feel better, and I still feel like shit after Morningpaw, so please leave me alone about this!”

“Morningpaw dying had nothing to do with you! I’m so, so sorry that he’s gone and if I could bring him back I would. He was my brother too, and I’m sorry. But you can’t just steal herbs from the medicine den!” Cinderclaw shouted back at his brother.

“Why do you think I stole them? And maybe I just feel guilty for no reason, ever think of that?!”

The look in Nightpaw’s eyes told Cinderclaw two things: one, that he knew how Cinderclaw knew, and two, he felt guilty for some deeper reason.

“Nightpaw,” the deputy whispered. “Why do you feel guilty about something that you had no control over?”

Nightpaw’s shoulders shook faintly. “He had greencough. And I was out here. I didn’t- I didn’t know what catmint did to help greencough, I just thought it made cats feel all like this. If I knew, I never would have done it, I swear!”

The black tom tried to speak once more, but he broke down into sobs. Cinderclaw understood now, and he almost wished that he’d never tried to discover why his brother was disappearing. He could have saved Morningpaw’s life, if he hadn’t taken some catmint out of the medicine den. Cinderclaw was torn for only a moment; Nightpaw regretted this, and he needed comfort. And so comfort he did. Cinderclaw let his tail rest on Nightpaw as his brother cried into his shoulder. He felt his brother’s breathing slow, and before Cinderclaw knew it, he and Nightpaw lulled themselves into a deep sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope this didnt suck rip


	4. 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Apprentice goofs and some secrets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im sorry i always take so long to update lmao  
> this chapter is shOrt sorry bout that too

Fallpaw leapt into the fray, her hackles raised, spitting wildly. She clawed a large warrior, and the warrior fled almost instantly. She yowled, and her own warriors charged from behind her into the stream of cats. 

“Riverpaw! Wavepaw! To my sides!” The apprentice screeched as her friends ran to her left and right. She was the best cat in SplashClan!

She dashed forwards, towards the leader of EchoClan, and defeated her swiftly. It hardly took any effort at all, and she ran with her tail between her legs. She grinned, and called for her fellow apprentices. 

“Fogpaw, you’ve got this, take care of the other warriors!”

Fogpaw opened his mouth, but what came out wasn’t anything spectacular; a simple “dude” escaped his throat. He didn’t move at all.

“What?” Fallpaw tilted her head in confusion; why wasn’t Fogpaw following the orders?

“Dude!” Fogpaw said again, this time a bit more angrily. “Stop kicking me!”

“I… you’re far away from me?” the apprentice stepped forwards slowly.

“You just kicked me again! Wake up!”

_ Oh. _

Fallpaw peeled her eyes open to the sight of a very dark cave and the faint rushing sound of a river.  _ Yeah, this makes more sense. _

Her head lifted sleepily and turned to Fogpaw, who’s blue eyes were a bit bloodshot from lack of sleep. He didn’t look the happiest about this, either.

“Sorry.” Fallpaw mumbled sheepishly to the gray tom as she ducked her head down. She thought back to earlier in the night; a truth or dare session. It was really boring though, so she probably fell asleep during it. What if she missed something important?

“Psst, Fogpaw,” she whispered. “What did I miss when I fell asleep?”

He grumbled as he lifted his head up once more to face the she-cat, but replied in a whisper anyways. He was always the gossip, and she could see his eyes light up in excitement at her question.

“Dude, Wavepaw  _ totally _ has a crush on Streampaw.” 

She gasped. “Oh my StarClan, he’s going to get his heart broken! Streampaw clearly has a crush on Riverpaw! And Riverpaw likes Slippaw- and he’s a medicine cat!”

“I  _ know _ , right? And like, it kind of sucks that Wavepaw has a crush on Streampaw, but it’s like we’re the only normal ones in this den anymore!”

The silver tabby raised her eyebrows at her friend. “Oh? Why’s it a shame that he likes Streampaw, hmm?” 

She knew quite well that he liked Wavepaw, but she always took a chance to rub it in. Maybe this wasn’t the best time to talk about it, considering Wavepaw’s crushing situation, but still. It was fun for her.

He hushed her with a glare. “Not so  _ loud _ ! You’re gonna wake him up!”

She snorted; she didn’t think that even the cliff tumbling down would wake up the chubby apprentice beside Fogpaw, but she humoured him nonetheless. “Aw, Foggie, you know that he’d say yes if you asked him! He gets crushes on the daily! Remember when he went to his first gathering, and he said he fell in love with  _ three _ TangleClan cats?”

He scowled at her before changing the subject. “Do you want to know what else happened or not?”

She tilted her head curiously- she hadn’t suspected anything else happened. “Go on!”

“Streampaw was dared to steal from the fresh-kill pile,” Fogpaw spoke softly. “But not the  _ normal _ fresh-kill pile… Crabclaw’s secret stash.”

Her eyes widened. “How did she get that old coot away from his trout for long enough?”

“She asked Slippaw to get poppy seeds and she gave him a mouse with them inside! He’s always been the biggest mouse fan, but anyways, he got knocked right out, and she took the whole pile!”

“The  _ whole pile _ ?! Where is it?” Fallpaw was fully invested now- no one had ever dared to ask Crabclaw about his secret food stash, much less steal from it! The elder always denied it’s existence. 

“Get this! She got so nervous about it that she ate the whole thing. All. The. Trout. She doesn’t even like trout! There were like three of them- she’s gonna be so sick in the morning, and she’s set for an early patrol.

Fallpaw cringed in sympathy for the she-cat beside her. That wasn’t gonna end very well for her, especially when Crabclaw found out about his lost prey. 

“Anything else interesting?” The tabby pawed the moss on the ground before her friend continued. 

“Uh, hm… Slippaw snuck in to join us ‘cause he heard about the session, and he clearly didn’t want to be asked anything, so he chose dare a bunch. But then Riverpaw came up with, like, a good solution, and she was all like, ‘Oh, Slippaw, I dare you to tell us what’s on your mind!’ and he was all like, ‘Uh, I dunno-’”

“What did he say, Fogpaw, get to the point!” Fallpaw was impatient, and the exhaustion was starting to get to her again.

“He said he saw Marshtail at the EchoClan border with the really bright red cat! You know, the one from gatherings that talks too much? Fidget-something?” Fogpaw was clearly excited to tell this piece. 

“Fidgetsand. Go on!” The silver tabby was excited to hear what happened. Marshtail, the only queen in the clan, who had gotten chunky without anyone knowing who the other parent could be, suddenly seen at the EchoClan border with a mysterious tom? This was  _ good _ . Well, technically, for Marshtail it was bad, but it was good gossip for Fogpaw and Fallpaw to revel in. 

“He licked Fidgetsand’s face in a whole lovey-dovey way, and then he walked off with one of those signature Marshtail flirtatious looks. And like, Slippaw had been hiding this from us for like, ever!” Fogpaw was starting to get riled up, his excitement wasn’t being hid very well. His tail flicked in excitement, hitting Wavepaw in the eye. The chubby black tom snorted and opened his groggy eyes. 

“Whussah?” he mumbled, before letting his head fall again.

“Oh my StarClan, I’m sorry, Wavepaw!” Fogpaw rushed. When Fallpaw raised an eyebrow at him, he just scowled. “Go back to sleep, okay? All of us.”

Fallpaw let her head fall on Streampaw’s shoulder as her eyes gently shut. Before she closed them completely, she could have sworn she saw a faint brown figure move quickly past the apprentice’s den.

 

To say the least, Marshtail was panicking. The apprentices knew. Slippaw had found out, and told them, and now they'd kick him out- he  _ knew _ they would, for having an interclan relationship. His kits would look like Fidgetsand, and then Fidgetsand could get kicked out of EchoClan, and Marshtail couldn't  _ bear _ to do that to Fidgetsand, he just  _ couldn't _ .

He stopped running when he got to the EchoClan border. He swivelled his head wildly, looking for his mate. Fidgetsand was here every night for their conversations.

His breathing slowed as he saw a red pelt emerge from the bushes. Marshtail always got starry-eyed when he saw his tunneller. The tom was covered in dust and a few leaves and twigs, but he smiled so widely that Marshtail couldn't see anything but his face; it glowed with love and happiness. He rushed towards his mate, a bit anxious at the news he’d have to share. He licked away some dirt from Fidgetsand’s fur.

“Fidgetsand! I- I have to tell you something-” he tumbled out.

“Shh, calm down, what's wrong?” The red tom’s eyes were full of concern.

“The apprentices know. And you know them, they're gossips. I guess Slippaw saw us once, and…” he trailed off after his whispering before picking himself up again. “And I want to come to EchoClan with you. Before it’s too late for me, and our kits.”

Marshtail tried to pretend that he didn't see the flash of worry and fear that brushed over Fidgetsand’s face. But it was there, and it didn't waver.

“You can't.” 

The brown tom was shocked at his mate’s words- surely Fidgetsand would want them to have a normal life in one clan?

“Why not?”

“Well, you're a SplashClan cat, we don't have many places to swim in EchoClan,” the russet cat looked as if he was searching for reasons, or perhaps excuses.

“I’ll be fine, but I love you for the concern.” Marshtail licked his mate’s face soothingly.

“But you’re close to giving birth, they'll  _ know  _ I had an interclan relationship-”

“And we will give EchoClan new warriors. I will feel bad about leaving SplashClan, of course, but it’ll be worth it, if I can spend the rest of my life with you, and our kits-”

“Stop it, Marshtail, don't you get it? You can't come! You’re fine in SplashClan right now, if it gets really bad we’ll get a plan set, but we just  _ can’t  _ right now. Please.” Fidgetsand’s tone was desperate, and it made Marshtail want to sob.  _ Am I really so bad, that he only wants me there as a last resort? _

“I’m going to go back to camp. Goodnight, Marshtail. I love you.” 

The words Fidgetsand spoke seemed filled with love, but his expression betrayed no emotions. No happiness, or anger. His face was set in the same thick stones that his clan treasured.

Once Marshtail was sure he had gone, he sat down on the rocks. New life was springing through the cracks, and he clawed at it absentmindedly, ruining it from the roots. He hung his head down, looking at the same cliff that his mate travelled up every day to meet him. But only to meet him here, nowhere else.

And he cried.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my tumblr is trashmouthsglasses.tumblr.com if u want to talk to me abt this


	5. 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And thus concludes the entrance of all four clans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is so short im sorry i just wanted to get this chapter out lmao  
> before u ask, cavernroot is mute!! he communicates with a special echoclan sign language

“Raid!”

Badgersneak’s eyes shot open- that was the voice of Fleckhowl. His mind raced; Fleckhowl was guarding the north tunnels, there was a raid, that could only mean…

“Tunneller raid!”

He jumped to his paws as quickly as he could, and looked around to see his fellow warriors shoving by. Sharpsong accidentally pushed him, and the smaller tom fell to the ground. Shaking the dirt from his fur and eyes, he dashed after the cats. 

The battle was chaos as far as the eye could see. A few of the Tunnellers were recognizable- he saw Scythe and Singsong, as well as Whiskers. He’d never get over the strange names, but he wasn’t focusing on that right now. He leapt onto a grey tabby, slashing wildly at her back. She yowled, and scratched him back, barely missing his eye. He felt incredibly powerful this morning, and he wasn’t sure why- it was as if another power was controlling him. After a few quick bites, she retreated, and Badgersneak noticed that the rest of the Tunnellers were running away as well. 

“TunnelClan, retreat!”

The voice of the leader of the rogue pack- Goldie- rang through the cave as the rest of her group disbanded. 

Batstar’s hackles raised in anger. She was very clearly scratched up, and she was limping, but she held her head high. “Do not use the names of the clans in such a manner. You will never be a clan!”

Goldie scowled, trailing her fluffy tail through the sand. “We’ll see about that, you old dirtbag.”

And in all the fray, a confused Fidgetsand stepped into the camp with a rabbit in his jaws. 

“Oh my StarClan, what did I miss?”

 

After Badgersneak had gotten patched up by Muddypelt- he was lucky that he was one of the first cats in line for the medicine den- he stalked to the warrior’s den, completely ignoring the talking of his best friend. Fidgetsand padded next to him, trying to get his attention. 

“Badgersneak, I’m  _ sorry _ , how was I supposed to know there’d be a raid, I was out hunting early this morning-” Badgersneak cut him off with a hiss.

“Really? All morning? Because your nest was cold and stale when I woke up. That kind of stuff happens overnight, not in a few hours.” 

He forced himself to whisper, making sure that he wasn’t attracting any attention from the other cats in the den. “Listen, man, I’m worried about you. You’ve been sneaking off so much lately,  _ hunting _ , apparently, I just don’t want you to get hurt. And I know I’m not the only one worried. Fallenfang must be so anxious.”

Badgersneak must have struck some sort of chord with that last part, because Fidgetsand flinched. The russet cat sighed, a slouch forming on him. He knew his friend would be saddened if his mate was getting anxious over him, and he hated making him upset, but he needed… whatever this was to stop.

“Did you know that they went for the nursery first, this morning? Arch got in. Wormkit is in the medicine den right now, getting his wounds patched up. That could have been Mushroomkit.

Fidgetsand sucked in a small gasp. Badgersneak was starting to feel worse and worse- he really did care for his friend, but Fidgetsand needed to know that there were consequences.

“There are… there are things you have to consider. The clan is thankful for your hunting, obviously, but hunt when you get sent on a patrol for it. And don’t hunt when the Tunnellers have been very, very suspicious around their borders lately.”

And with that, Badgersneak padded into the tunnels to hunt.

 

Cavernroot was in a panic, to say the least. He was frantically signing with his tail to his mentor, who gave him instructions in reply. He was still so dependable, but he needed help right now. Muddypelt was trying to help Wormkit, who seemed to be in stable condition at the moment, while he was wrapping a splint around Twistpaw’s back left leg. 

_ Ironic name _ , he thought, almost forgetting the terrified gaze of Silverfur above him.

“Will he be okay?”

_ StarClan, it’s just a little twisted foot, calm down. _

However, since he couldn’t exactly speak this- he wasn’t sure if he would, if he had the chance, lest he face her wrath- he just nodded to the she-cat. Of course it wouldn’t quell her anxiety, so he sighed as she began ripping out fur in stress. 

_ Calm down _ , he signed in his own special code, passing her some poppy seeds. She obliged, and ate them swiftly. Now he could work on the apprentice.

Putting on a splint wasn’t that hard for him. So many cats got twisted paws in EchoClan, whether they tripped over a root the wrong way or they got caught in a small rockslide. So naturally, as he zoned out, it was almost over in seconds in his mind. He probably should have paid more attention, but he was sure that he’d done it right. His emotions had shifted so quickly- he laughed to himself as he thought of how he had been in a panic just a few minutes before. Now that there was less chaos in the den, and most of the cats had cleared out or were asleep, he had returned to the tranquility his mind was usually settled in.

He nudged Twistpaw’s splinted leg into the safest and most comfortable position for the twist, and laid in his nest. It was unnaturally cold, and it didn’t feel the nicest at the moment.

_ I must need new moss, or something _ .

With silent steps, he padded out of the den, and then turned to the north tunnels. They were notorious for tangled roots all around, but it also had a lovely side tunnel with flowers, and- most importantly in this scenario- moss.

Cavernroot knew this path well. The roots weren’t much of a problem, while it was much harder on the newer apprentices. Sometimes they would sneak out to have fun, and dare each other, and do whatever apprentices did, and usually Cavernroot would have to treat a snagged claw while the apprentice blubbered like a kit in cobwebs. 

When he turned into the mossy grotto, the last thing he expected to see was a cat. His hackles raised, and he was prepared to either fight or bolt for it when he heard sobbing. The cat clearly wasn’t focused on him. The medicine cat took a deep breath- oh, EchoClan scent. He was safe. The cat’s red fur shook with his choked sobs, and his head swivelled around as Cavernroot took a step into the grove.

_ Fidgetsand? _

Fidgetsand hissed, trying to dry his tears with his paws. 

“I’m sorry, Cavernroot, don’t bring this up tomorrow or anything. I’m going to bed. Have a good night.” The tom shoved past Cavernroot, and the medicine cat could hear a muffled “shit!” and the sound of a cat’s body hitting the floor. Oh yeah, roots. He snorted to himself, gathered the moss, and went back to his den, but the question still remained in his mind.  _ What was wrong with Fidgetsand, that he was crying? He usually seemed so happy, or… carefree. _

Cavernroot’s paws brushed over the new moss, smoothing it into place. He sighed as he sunk into it’s fluffy mess, and closed his eyes. 

Twistpaw would never admit it, because he thought he was just having a strange dream. He had eaten a few more poppy seeds than he needed. But as soon as Cavernroot closed his eyes, he swore that the figure of a cat with a burnt face had nuzzled the medicine cat. A faint whisper could be heard;  _ “I’ll help you, honey, we’ll get them next time, sweetheart.” _

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> trashmouthsglasses.tumblr.com

**Author's Note:**

> and thus ends chapter one!!


End file.
